USEFUL GREENHOUSE PLANTS 307 



introduced it has already become a general favourite for decorative 

 purposes. A white-flowered species, K. Dyerii, blooms in winter. Soil : 

 loam, leaf-soil, and sand, with a little old mortar. 



Kennedya. Slender climbing plants, suitable for the roof or rafters 

 of the greenhouse, with pea-shaped blossoms. The best is K. Marryattce, 

 which has scarlet flowers borne during the first half of the year. Soil : 

 loam and peat. 



Lachenalia. Popularly termed Cape Primroses, these are pretty 

 little bulbous plants that should be potted in August, when they will 

 flower in the spring. Soil should consist of loam, leaf-soil, and old cow- 

 manure. They are pretty either in pots or suspended baskets. There 

 are many new and expensive kinds. Of the older ones the best are 

 aurea, yellow ; pendula, red and yellow ; tricolor, green, red, and yellow ; 

 and Nelsonii, fine golden yellow, unsurpassed by any of the others. 



Lantana. Dwarf, shrubby plants, with flowers somewhat like 

 those of the Verbena, but rather smaller. Lantanas will bloom through- 

 out the summer, the flowers being white, yellow, pink, scarlet, and 

 crimson. These Lantanas can be recommended to the amateur, as 

 they strike readily from cuttings in the spring, grow well with ordinary 

 treatment and soil, and flower continuously throughout the summer. 



Lapageria. The two Lapagerias alba, white, and rosea, pink 

 are among the most beautiful of all greenhouse climbers, their flowers 

 being bell-shaped, and of waxy texture. They need a well-drained soil, 

 principally composed of rough sandy peat, copious supplies of water 

 during the summer, and a position shaded from the sun. They are effec- 

 tive whether trained to the roof or to the back wall of the greenhouse. 



Lemon Verbena. See Aloysia dtriodora. 



Lobelia. The different forms of Lobelia speciosa are generally 

 used for bedding during the summer, but at the same time they form a 

 pleasing feature in the greenhouse, the loose-growing kinds being par- 

 ticularly useful for suspended baskets. Lobelias are readily raised from 

 seed sown in the greenhouse in March. A striking species is Lobelia 

 tenuior, with large cobalt-blue flowers. It is rather tall in growth, and 

 in a suspended pot or basket its loose habit displays its charms to the 

 best advantage. Soil : good loam and leaf-soil. 



Maiden's Wreath. See Francoa ramosa. 



Marguerite. This is the term usually applied to the different 

 forms of Chrysanthemum frutescens that are largely grown for decora- 

 tion. They succeed in any ordinary soil, and their large daisy-like 

 blooms appear in great profusion throughout the greater part of the year. 

 They all strike very readily from cuttings put in during the spring. 

 Some of the later varieties have double flowers, one of which, Mrs. F. 

 Sander, has become exceedingly popular both for greenhouse decoration 

 and for summer bedding. 



Maurandya barclayana. A quick-growing climber that, if raised 

 from seed in the spring, will produce its purple Foxglove-like flowers 

 throughout the latter half of the summer. Ordinary potting-soil. 



Metrosideros floribunda. See Callistemon salignus. 



